President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of escalating its campaign to cripple Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, saying no commercial vessels entered the country’s ports on Thursday as Moscow steps up attacks on maritime infrastructure. Speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Kyiv on Thursday, Zelensky said the Kremlin was deliberately trying to shut down Ukraine’s grain corridor.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “They will do everything to block our grain corridor,” Zelensky said. “Yesterday, not a single vessel was able to enter our port. They attacked all the ships. They will intensify this.” He added that Kyiv had anticipated Russia’s strategy months ago and appointed a dedicated official to oversee the protection and operation of the maritime export route. Zelensky’s comments came as major global shipping companies began suspending operations at Ukrainian ports amid mounting security risks. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said they were halting calls to the port of Chornomorsk after a surge in Russian missile and drone attacks on the Odesa region. “Recent missile and drone attacks in the Odesa region have significantly increased the operational and security risks,” Hapag-Lloyd told AFP. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had warned a day earlier that “zero vessels” passed through Ukraine’s Black Sea maritime corridor on July 22, at the height of the grain harvest, calling it a threat to global food security.